Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading? - Page 1160

Dazrin · 08-13-2013, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Doomsday Book did come in, so I will read that next.

Great selection for the August book club and if you haven't had a chance to read it yet I would recommend it. I will certainly be checking out other books by Connie Willis, probably starting with her other Hugo/Nebula winners.

Next up is American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I keep hearing good things about it but I didn't enjoy the one short by him that I read earlier this year. We will see.

BelleZora · 08-13-2013, 04:19 PM

I enjoyed The Doomsday Book more than any book I've read in a while. When I finish A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (which is looong) I'm reading Connie Willis's To Say Nothing of the Dog. I just read Three Men in a Boat (to Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome in preparation. It was published in 1889 and reminded me of both Mark Twain and P.G. Wodehouse.

Dazrin · 08-13-2013, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BelleZora

I enjoyed The Doomsday Book more than any book I've read in a while. When I finish A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (which is looong) I'm reading Connie Willis's To Say Nothing of the Dog. I just read Three Men in a Boat (to Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome in preparation. It was published in 1889 and reminded me of both Mark Twain and P.G. Wodehouse.

You might want to try Fire Watch before To Say Nothing of the Dog since it predates both Doomsday Book and TSNotD and is set in the same world. I haven't read it, but it won both the Hugo and Nebula for 1982/3 like Doomsday Book did in 1992/3. At least that is where I plan on going next with her works, I haven't found anything saying to read them in published order though, so it may not matter at all.

I read an essay by Jerome K. Jerome last year (it was nominated for a book club but lost to The Princess Bride) and enjoyed it a lot. I will have to try Three Men in a Boat before I get to Connie Willis' TSNotD.

Also, just noticed you are in CdA - I used to live in Post Falls (20 years ago) and miss that area. Spent a lot of time in the Bookworm.

Namekuseijin · 08-13-2013, 07:13 PM

I've got my Kindle Paperwhite and since it can be read in pretty much all lighting condition, it's hard to take my eyes off it whenever I have the chance. I'm still on book 1, chapter 25 of A Song of Ice and Fire, and also trying to go through Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. two heavy beasts. meanwhile, I read some shorts by O. Henry...

bfisher · 08-13-2013, 08:29 PM

Currently reading Philip Caputo's The Longest Road - a description of a road trip he took at age 70 from Key West to North Slope Alaska. Quite enjoyable so far,; I particularly like the section on Wounded Knee and the Black Hills - I believe I will read Travels With Charlie to compare.

It's the first thing I have read by Caputo since A Rumor of War back in the day.

benham · 08-14-2013, 10:58 AM

Currently reading The Highway by CJ Box. Can't say I'd recommend it especially.

HomeInMyShoes · 08-14-2013, 11:07 AM

So many things coming my way from the library these days.

Just finishing up Doughnut by Tom Holt. Good fun.
Next up is The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.
Then Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Then Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff

BelleZora · 08-14-2013, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dazrin

You might want to try Fire Watch before To Say Nothing of the Dog since it predates both Doomsday Book and TSNotD and is set in the same world. I haven't read it, but it won both the Hugo and Nebula for 1982/3 like Doomsday Book did in 1992/3. At least that is where I plan on going next with her works, I haven't found anything saying to read them in published order though, so it may not matter at all.

I read an essay by Jerome K. Jerome last year (it was nominated for a book club but lost to The Princess Bride) and enjoyed it a lot. I will have to try Three Men in a Boat before I get to Connie Willis' TSNotD.

Also, just noticed you are in CdA - I used to live in Post Falls (20 years ago) and miss that area. Spent a lot of time in the Bookworm.

Added Fire Watch to my lengthy TBR list. I also added Swing, Swing Together: A Sergeant Cribb Investigation by Peter Lovesey to my must-read list. It parallels Three Men in a Boat and is based upon a incident in Jerome's thoroughly delightful book.

The Bookworm is still in business, a survivor of both the big bookstores and now the digital age.

harleigh · 08-14-2013, 03:57 PM

Just finished Forever Freaky by Tom Upton. Good YA Paranormal fiction.

Going on to Ill Wind by Rachel Caine

Stephjk · 08-15-2013, 12:40 AM

Just finished The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowling and I quite enjoyed it. I liked the different characters and the constant change from one to the next enhanced the story for me.

I've also just finished a short story by Victoria Hislop, The Kafenion. I read The Island a few years ago and didn't like her writing style, far too simplistic, almost as if she's telling a story to pre-schoolers. I thought I'd give her another chance as most of her tales are set in Greece which is where I'm currently exploring. However, this was as bad as the first IMO. I won't be rushing to read any more of her stuff.

Just about to start Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West*by Blaine Harden.

DrNefario · 08-15-2013, 08:34 AM

Last night I finished The Sword in the Stone by TH White. It's a children's fantasy classic, and I expected a nice fun light read, but in fact I found it a bit of a slog. The main problem I had was that there was really no momentum to it, no through-line. It felt like it was just a series of disconnected short adventures.

It didn't really even reduce my TBR, since I discovered that my Once and Future King omnibus has five parts, not four.

Before that, I read the multi-award-winning Jack Glass by Adam Roberts, which I liked a lot, but maybe had my expectations a bit unrealistically high. I put it as a good solid 8/10 piece of SF. It is intended to combine some aspects of the Golden Ages of SF and Detection, and incorporates a whodunit and a locked-room mystery, but it still reads as fairly modern, I thought.

kainne · 08-15-2013, 11:02 AM

Currently reading Metro 1033

Just found this, What Should I read Next
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2TRXnp

orlok · 08-15-2013, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kainne

Currently reading Metro 1033

Just found this, What Should I read Next
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2TRXnp

Karma for that. Nice little tool, similar in a way to Literature Map.

CRussel · 08-15-2013, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRussel

Well, that didn't work. OK. Time to get serious. Patrick O'Brian. And right back to the beginning. Master and Commander

Finished. What a great series. I moved on to the second book, Post Captain, which is set immediately during and after the Peace of Amiens, a one year break in the Napoleonic Wars between France and the UK. The scene with the bear suit is absolutely absurd and brilliant.

OldDarth · 08-15-2013, 08:01 PM

The Shining by Stephen King

Well I'm all set for Dr. Sleep.

It's been over twenty years since I last read this book and as good I thought it was since then, it's even more powerful than I remember. No doubt because in the twenty intervening years I have become a family man and father myself. My focus on this story has shifted from the horror elements to the characters.

Twenty years ago the visceral thrills that the Outlook Hotel gave have been dulled due to the ever expanding boundaries of what horror books/movies etc have shown and told us.

What stands out more in The Shining are the ghosts we carry around inside of us. These ghosts have the potential to be far more damaging and/or terrifying than anything a possessed hotel can throw at us.

Jack and Wendy Torrance are damaged goods trying to cast off the ghosts of their parents. Jack fails and with Wendy it is unclear how she fares moving forward from the end of the book.

And Danny? Ah, poor Danny. With his gift, or curse, of The Shining - the weight of his ghosts is ever so much heavier. Will his ability ultimately help him conquer his demons or will he crash even harder than his father?

Come Sept 24 with the release of Dr. Sleep, answers should be forthcoming.

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08-13-2013, 04:19 PM	#17387
BelleZora Wizard Posts: 1,432 Karma: 25151986 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Seattle, US Device: Kindle Oasis 3, Kobo Libra 2	I enjoyed The Doomsday Book more than any book I've read in a while. When I finish A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (which is looong) I'm reading Connie Willis's To Say Nothing of the Dog. I just read Three Men in a Boat (to Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome in preparation. It was published in 1889 and reminded me of both Mark Twain and P.G. Wodehouse.

08-13-2013, 07:13 PM	#17389
Namekuseijin affordable chipmunk Posts: 1,290 Karma: 9863855 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Brazil Device: Sony XPeria ZL, Kindle Paperwhite	I've got my Kindle Paperwhite and since it can be read in pretty much all lighting condition, it's hard to take my eyes off it whenever I have the chance. I'm still on book 1, chapter 25 of A Song of Ice and Fire, and also trying to go through Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. two heavy beasts. meanwhile, I read some shorts by O. Henry...

08-13-2013, 08:29 PM	#17390
bfisher Wizard Posts: 1,638 Karma: 28483498 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Ottawa Canada Device: Sony PRS-T3, Galaxy (Aldiko, Kobo app)	Currently reading Philip Caputo's The Longest Road - a description of a road trip he took at age 70 from Key West to North Slope Alaska. Quite enjoyable so far,; I particularly like the section on Wounded Knee and the Black Hills - I believe I will read Travels With Charlie to compare. It's the first thing I have read by Caputo since A Rumor of War back in the day.

08-14-2013, 10:58 AM	#17391
benham Guru Posts: 882 Karma: 5565888 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Townsend, WI Device: Palm TX, PRS-505 (BLUE)	Currently reading The Highway by CJ Box. Can't say I'd recommend it especially.

08-14-2013, 11:07 AM	#17392
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	So many things coming my way from the library these days. Just finishing up Doughnut by Tom Holt. Good fun. Next up is The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. Then Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Then Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff

08-14-2013, 03:57 PM	#17394
harleigh Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2013 Location: Illinois Device: None	Just finished Forever Freaky by Tom Upton. Good YA Paranormal fiction. Going on to Ill Wind by Rachel Caine

08-15-2013, 12:40 AM	#17395
Stephjk Cruiser Posts: 525 Karma: 1157886 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: on a small yacht! Device: kobo glo, samsung galaxy tab note	Just finished The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowling and I quite enjoyed it. I liked the different characters and the constant change from one to the next enhanced the story for me. I've also just finished a short story by Victoria Hislop, The Kafenion. I read The Island a few years ago and didn't like her writing style, far too simplistic, almost as if she's telling a story to pre-schoolers. I thought I'd give her another chance as most of her tales are set in Greece which is where I'm currently exploring. However, this was as bad as the first IMO. I won't be rushing to read any more of her stuff. Just about to start Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West*by Blaine Harden.

08-15-2013, 08:34 AM	#17396
DrNefario Wizard Posts: 2,099 Karma: 11315768 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle, Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch	Last night I finished The Sword in the Stone by TH White. It's a children's fantasy classic, and I expected a nice fun light read, but in fact I found it a bit of a slog. The main problem I had was that there was really no momentum to it, no through-line. It felt like it was just a series of disconnected short adventures. It didn't really even reduce my TBR, since I discovered that my Once and Future King omnibus has five parts, not four. Before that, I read the multi-award-winning Jack Glass by Adam Roberts, which I liked a lot, but maybe had my expectations a bit unrealistically high. I put it as a good solid 8/10 piece of SF. It is intended to combine some aspects of the Golden Ages of SF and Detection, and incorporates a whodunit and a locked-room mystery, but it still reads as fairly modern, I thought.

08-15-2013, 11:02 AM	#17397
kainne Connoisseur Posts: 50 Karma: 51520 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: PRS-700	Currently reading Metro 1033 Just found this, What Should I read Next http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2TRXnp

08-15-2013, 08:01 PM	#17400
OldDarth Member Posts: 16 Karma: 34572 Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Touch / Kindle Fire HD 7	*The Shining by Stephen King* Well I'm all set for Dr. Sleep. It's been over twenty years since I last read this book and as good I thought it was since then, it's even more powerful than I remember. No doubt because in the twenty intervening years I have become a family man and father myself. My focus on this story has shifted from the horror elements to the characters. Twenty years ago the visceral thrills that the Outlook Hotel gave have been dulled due to the ever expanding boundaries of what horror books/movies etc have shown and told us. What stands out more in The Shining are the ghosts we carry around inside of us. These ghosts have the potential to be far more damaging and/or terrifying than anything a possessed hotel can throw at us. Jack and Wendy Torrance are damaged goods trying to cast off the ghosts of their parents. Jack fails and with Wendy it is unclear how she fares moving forward from the end of the book. And Danny? Ah, poor Danny. With his gift, or curse, of The Shining - the weight of his ghosts is ever so much heavier. Will his ability ultimately help him conquer his demons or will he crash even harder than his father? Come Sept 24 with the release of Dr. Sleep, answers should be forthcoming.

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